Restless sleep again last night.. I could do without them! I really think that I need to zone out of the karate mindset for a couple of days.. Since I arrived in Japan nearly six weeks ago it has been karate full steam ahead for me. I'm powering ahead with finalising my PhD thesis over the last few days and I think I owe it another few days of dedicated attention. So I emailed Yamaguchi Sensei at the dojo this morning and told him that I really need to concentrate on my studies for a few days and that I will not be training in the dojo again until Saturday. Matsue Sensei replied to me and said that all the Sensei's understand my situation and that it is no problem.
For those of you who don't know what my research is about I will try to explain briefly without boring you..! After I graduated from university in 2008 I started a two year teaching position at the University of Limerick. While teaching in the university I enrolled as a PhD student. My area of research is in education... and basically it is concerned with developing peoples ability to freehand sketch (through a model of instruction that I have devised) and the subsequent scientific examination of this development. Over the past 3 years I have been very fortunate that my research has enabled me to travel to places like the U.S.A. and the U.K. to present my work and meet with leading academics in the same area. So before I came to Japan I completed a draft thesis of my research and at the moment I am finalising the final thesis which will be submitted for examination. I will be examined when I return home from Japan in May.
To take a break from my research for an hour today I travelled to Kasuga to see if I could buy a shinai (a bamboo sword/stick). I eventually found a budo shop that sold them and I bought a 39" one along with a cover sleeve. It cost about €30. I often see Kagawa Sensei using this in the dojo practicing his stretches and Inada Sensei gave me a couple of exercises on Tuesday night to help me with my yokogeri kekomi in which I can use the shinai. So when I got back to my apartment I spent a lot of time in between my research doing leg raises, kicks and stretches in front of the mirror and using the shinai as a balancing aid and as a vertical reference line to make sure that I am not breaking the centreline. I'm finding it a great help so far!
So research day planned again for tomorrow and I am supposed to be meeting Scott Sensei's friend Nick and maybe Hiroshi tomorrow night for a couple of hours. So for those of you who are waiting for dojo updates you will have to wait until Saturday I'm afraid!
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